A Knight's Vow
by mikey magee
Summary: Medieval AU based off of Watadrag fanart: Elijah Bradley is the grandson of one of the greatest knights the land has ever seen. The only problem is the legend of Sir Isaiah had been lost to time. Elijah vows to restore his family's good name, and when a knight makes a vow, he never breaks it.
1. Prologue

Concept based off of Watadrag(Deviant art profile)/Notthiscrap (tumblr profile) wonderful fan art.

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Once long ago, in a land too far to find, there lived a young man named Elijah Bradley. He, along with his grandmother and grandfather, lived in a little cottage outside the kingdom of York. His grandmother was a wise scholar who had earned enough money from her teachings to keep the family happy and well-fed.

But his grandfather, Isaiah Bradley, was of a different case. For you see, in his youth Grandfather Bradley had been cursed with a wicked potion, one that had promised to give him strength, and had, but at a terrible cost…

"Grandfather?" Elijah held his grandfather's morning meal. Porridge with milk he had fetched from the cow. "I have your breakfast."

His grandfather sat on his chair, his eyes gazing to nowhere, and his mind thinking of nothing.

Elijah knew of his grandfather's valor. A long time ago, when the land was threatened by a great evil, it was his grandfather who took up arms to face the challenge. Isaiah took hold of a magic potion, one that would grant him strength but take away his sense of self.

"Be careful" the wizard warned. "This could spell doom for you."

But Sir Isaiah did not let that deter him. He took the potion and vanquashed the evil…but when he returned to the kingdom he had protected, he was branded a traitor and left to rot in the dungeons of York.

Elijah knew that story well. It was the last thing he thought of before he slumbered, and the first think he knew of when he awoke. He knew his grandfather, this poor man with no voice who sat in front of him now, was a knight. No, further than that, he was the greatest knight that the kingdom had ever seen.

Sir Isaiah, knight of valor.

Sir Isaiah, knight of honor

Sir Isaiah…forgotten.

Elijah sat down beside his grandfather, stirred his porridge, blew on it, and gently placed the spoon between his grandfather's lips.

"Grandfather, I swear to you I will make this right."

Elijah did not have his grandfather's great strength, the potion he took was lost to the ages. He did not have his grandfather's training, or his great cleverness. The only thing he did have of Isaiah's was his stories, and his shield.

That old shield that hung upon the mantle like a trophy. After his chores, Elijah would go out into the fields and practice his swordplay. Some days he would practice until the sun passed beyond the horizon, and later still. He vowed he would restore his grandfather's name to glory.

And the most important thing he learned from his grandfather was that a knight never breaks a vow


	2. The Journey Begins

"Elijah, this is foolish." Grandmother Faith said.

Today was the day. The day Elijah would travel to distance lands and return his grandfather's honor to him. No more forgotten stories of lost deeds. No more buried legends. This was the day he would renew his grandfather's place in the hall of knights.

"Grandmother, please. This is something that must be done. For all of us."

Grandmother Faith shook her head. "Elijah, no one in our family cares. Not even your Grandfather. He has nothing to prove to anyone, nor do you. Please forget this pointless exercise."

Elijah shook his head and pulled his sword close to its hilt. "I cannot. I cannot live one more day without trying to right this terrible wrong."

He made a vow.

"Grandmother, please understand. If I cannot do this for Grandfather, then I must at least do this for myself. Please."

Faith had known of her grandson's turmoil, just as she had known of her own husbands deeds beyond their own lands. Elijah and Isaiah shared that trait, an unyielding sense of justice that burned in their chest. She shook her head…they were far too noble for their own good.

"Wait here my child." She moved back into her home, and returned with an old shield that shined in the day light. Blue as the sky, red as the blood that pumped through them all, and a white star in center that shined like the sun.

"That is Grandfather's shield." Elijah had looked upon that piece of armor for years. His grandfather had told him that that shield had saved his life on numerous occasions.

"This shield is your grandfather's most prized treasure. If you must go on this journey, then allow it to protect you." She placed the shield on Elijah's back and embraced him with all the strength she could.

"Please return to us safely my child."

And with his Grandmother's blessing, his trusty sword, and his grandfather's shield, Eli set off to distant lands, determined to return his grandfather's name to the honor that all great knights deserved. All those years of practicing with his sword, all those nights of watching his grandfather fade away into a shell. All those evenings he saw his grandfather struggle to simply _be_. That was not right. That was not justice or valor. His grandfather was a hero, and he would no longer rest until he proved it to the world.

That was his vow.

Elijah set off for the kingdom of York. That was where his grandfather's name had been marred, and that was where Eli would restore it.


	3. A Small Town

It had been days since Elijah had left his family's cottage. He kept his sword close to him, as his grandfather had taught him, just in case he ran into bandits along the way. The day was warm and the sun hung high overhead. The kingdom of York was still days away, and Eli could feel his strength leaving him.

"I must find somewhere to rest."

In the distance, Elijah saw a small little village on the outskirts of the path. It almost looked as if it were trying to hide itself from travelers, either way it didn't matter. Elijah was low on supplies and he was getting hungry…this small village looked as good a place as any.

Elijah smiled, shrugged his shield over his shoulder, and made his way to the small village. Hopefully, there was someone who could help him. It didn't take long to reach the village, but as Elijah walked across its dusty roads he noticed it was so…empty. His grandmother had told him stories of sleepy villages like these. They were filled with people traveling to shops, and bars, looking for things to buy and do and experience. Where was everyone?

Elijah came up to a tavern. He took a deep breath, and entered.

"Hello?" He said as he walked up to the counter. There was no one there to greet him. No music, no dancing, no one to be found. "My name is Elijah. I am in need of supplies and a hot meal." He looked around, where was everyone. Where was the barkeep? Where were the customers? Either everything his grandmother had told him was a lie…or something was wrong.

Elijah knocked his fist into the counter three times, as if knocking. "Hello?" He called out.

He waited…and waited…and wa-

"Uh…" came a meek voice, "It someone there?"

Elijah looked from beyond the counter. "Uh…hello there." Elijah tried to smile. "I-I am a traveler. I have come a long ways and I was hoping to have a hot meal if at all possible." Elijah quickly reached down and pulled out his coin purse. "Of course I have every intention to pay."

The man smiled. His lips revealed a toothy grin, but one of fear and distrust.

"Look young man, I would love to help you out, but there is not much this town can offer you."

Eli put his change purse away. "What do you mean?"

"Every day this village is ransacked by bandits. There is hardly enough for the people of this town, let alone a stranger such as you."

"What do you mean bandits?"

The barkeep took a deep breath. "For months now the bandits have come to pillage and steal, it is a wonder the village has still held on for so long. We are not a town of fighters, but of simple shop keepers and merchants. We have tried to fight back against them, but all of our efforts have failed."

"What about the knights? Isn't there anyone to fight off this threat? Could you not send word to York?"

"That kingdom cares nothing for us. We have tried to contact them, but it is to no avail."

He grabbed the hilt of his sword and scowled. This injustice could not stand.

"These bandits, where are they?" Eli asked.

"We do not know, they only appear from the North and leave just as quickly."

Elijah thanked the barkeeper, his stomach was empty, and his body tired from walking all night and day, but he could not simply allow this to continue, especially if the kingdom of York refused to protect their subjects…just as they had refused to protect his grandfather. History kept repeating itself…

"But not this time."


End file.
